


The Time Apart

by Cinnamon_Candy08



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Angst, Assassins & Hitmen, Atonement - Freeform, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Mako Infusion, Multi, OCs - Freeform, Post-Advent Children, Reno's Past, Torture, Turks - Freeform, weird kinks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-05 20:37:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15178853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnamon_Candy08/pseuds/Cinnamon_Candy08
Summary: A new terrorist organization rises with the intention to destroy all that remains of Shinra. The Turks, in order to protect themselves and their friends, must team up with a former member of the organization to bring them down. However, there is much more that must be learned before they do so.





	1. It's Been Awhile

It had been three long years since the meteor, yet he could still feel the crushing force of it on his chest as he tried to get out of bed. The sun hadn't yet crested his window, but he found himself unable to drift back into the comfort of sleep. Weighted down and fully awake, he lay there, squinting at the ceiling in frustration. His head rang like a drum without even moving, giving him a glimpse at what the rest of his day was bound to be like. It felt like hours before the room began to grow brighter with the morning sun, and finally his alarm gave him the strength to move, rolling out of bed and shuffling into the bathroom for his shower.

The cold water brought him out of his haze, revitalizing his worn body. He could feel the muscles of his shoulders tighten as the water washed over him. He hadn't been out in the field in weeks, but he felt sore, knots built up near his spine that never loosened. His arms hung heavily at his sides, trying to find the energy to move on with his day. A wrenching pain in his abdomen urged him to eat, but the thought of food made him grimace. Though he knew part of his weakness came from his hunger, he couldn't force himself to eat before leaving for work.

He could barely remember driving to the building, but the repetition of going there everyday made it part of his instinct. The building was smaller and had a dreary look to it, but there wasn't much use for a skyscraper anymore, at least not for them. Since the destruction of the Shinra building, the remainder of the company was forced to separate and relocate. Turks now had their own two story little office building where they stationed investigations on Midgar's high profile crimes, though most of it was just paper work and the occasional presidential escort.

Elena sat at a desk across from his, doodling on sticky notes that she lined the edge of her computer screen with. On his walks past her desk he always liked to look at them. She was quiet the talented doodler, making her own little creatures to stick around her desk. One of her favorites seemed to be this jelly like blob that liked to eat shoes and cooking utensils. He'd also seen some attempts of an overly fluffy chocobo that she named Cupcake. Her very best doodle of Cupcake stuck to the fridge door in the break room.

"Morning Reno," she hummed as he sat down across from her.

"Mornin' Lena," he said sitting down and noticing a cup of coffee and a bagel sitting next to his key board.

"Eat it," Elena said giving him a stern look. "We've got to be at HQ at noon, so you need to need to have your energy,"

Reno nods, leaning back and munching on his breakfast. Elena had been harassing him lately about it, but he knew she was just doing so out of concern. She had noticed his irregular eating habits, and the fact that he could barely stay awake at his computer because of it. Now she's on his case about eating right almost everyday, even going so far as to coming over to his apartment to make him food on occasion. Despite his surface annoyance, he really did appreciate her efforts.

Since the meteor fall, him and Elena's relationship had grown stronger, more than just better partners on the job than they have been in the past. Elena was one of his closest friend, which meant a lot since he had so few. They had been through so much, trusted each other with their lives on multiple occasions, and overcame a lot of obstacles. Elena was his big sister, despite being younger than him. He knew 'big sister' was more appropriate cause she wouldn't hesitate to put him in his place if need be. Her older sister Evelyn and him hadn't been close, but he could see a lot of her behavior in Elena. They weren't ones to put up with being fucked with. But Elena had more of the sensitive side, and could read Reno's mood like a book.

"It's just an escort job. When was the last time we had any trouble on top of the plate?"

"It's not just about that," Elena huffed tapping away at the computer. She stops for a moment, glancing around her monitor to look at him. Her brows drew over her brown eyes in a look of concern, letting out a deep sigh. "Is everything okay..?"

Reno was taken aback for a moment, scratching the back of his neck as he thought. Elena was one of his closest friends, but he couldn't put that kind of burden on her. He knew he had depression, and he knew his lack of appetite probably had something to do with it. He'd been thinking about his life since before meteor fall. At one point, he had been okay with the thought of being the bad guy. The lives he took were expendable, even his own. He didn't bother with having a conscience, and did as he pleased with no regard for anything.

After sector seven, all of that changed. He felt guilt, and despair, and depression. But he kept up his act, and no one would bother him about it. That's the way he liked it, but his mask always had it's cracks. He couldn't tell how many nights he was kept up by the screams inside his head; how many times he drank himself unconscious just to sleep; how he had to keep his pistol locked up so he wouldn't go reaching for it in the middle of the night.

How could he even begin to tell her...

"I just didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. Everything's fine," he said.

Elena's concern didn't diminish, but she went back to her work regardless. Within minutes Rude arrived and sat down at the desk next to his, glancing over with a silent nod as he began his work.

Today they were scheduled to escort Rufus from HQ to a power facility that was soon to open. Rufus however, wasn't the only one making decisions in the city anymore. Reeve has since been operating the company, establishing new renewable power facilities, integrating the majority of remaining Shinra soldiers to the World Regenesis Organization, and rebuilding the destruction caused by Shinra and the meteor fall. Despite the wrong doings in the past, Rufus has been doing all in his power to atone for everything Shinra had done in the past. All assets he had transferred over to WRO, all of his power now shared between Reeve and the other executives. Reeve allowed him to keep his figurehead position as president of Shinra, but the only power he had was over seeing the restoration of Midgar.

As noon approached, Reno and Rude prepared for the escort. They were rarely allowed to carry a gun anymore except on missions that required it. This wasn't because Reeve didn't have any trust in them, but people still viewed the Turks as something to be feared instead of trusted, and declining to carry firearms in public showed that they were no threat. Not that Reno or any of the other Turks needed a gun to be a threat anyway. He never enjoyed waltzing around in public much except for his occasional trips to the bar, but doing so now meant he was vulnerable. It would only take one loud mouthed pisshead to recognize him, and he doubted anyone would come to his defense if he were ever threatened in public. For the most part, anyone who tried to pick a fight with him stood down once they realized he was more than capable of killing them with his bare hands. But he had been kicked out of several establishments due to his presence pissing off a few drunks, which is part of the reason he only drank at Tifa's anymore.

or this mission, they were only allowed their pistols. 

Rufus was waiting inside the door as they made it to HQ, despite the heat of the early summer still wearing his long white overcoat and a shirt that hugged his neck. Even after being cured of geostigma, he still bore the scars. The disease took its tole on his body, the once infected skin still red with scars. He greeted them with a nod and smile as they loaded up into the car. They arrived at a large facility on the sector four plate. A small crowd of people stood outside surrounding the street as the cars pulled up. Tseng was first out of the car, holding the door for Rufus as they all filed out. People murmured as the they approached the building, Rude and Tseng at Rufus's side as he begun to scale the stairs.

Reno scanned the sidewalk, within an instant spotting a figure across the street that gave him a bad feel. They stood between the buildings in the shadows, a stocking cap and face shield keeping their features covered while a hooded jacket barely hid a pistol holstered at their side. Before Reno could pull his eyes away a shot rang out in the street, and scream pierced his ears. He whipped back around to see Rufus on the ground clutching his side while Tseng loomed over him, trying to keep him covered from any other fire. Rude reacted immediately, kneeling to cover Tseng and Rufus while returning fire as a man took off down the street, shoving his way through the people in his way.

"Reno! This way!" Elena yells grabbing onto his jacket and dragging him along as they began their pursuit. He could see the man running up the street, suddenly dodging up an alley trying to make his escape. Reno's heart pounded in his chest, his breath burning as they continued to gain on him. Before they could go for the take down he suddenly whips around, pistol in hand and ready to fire.

"Look out!" a woman screams coming up behind him wrapping an arm around his and hauling it back, sending the bullets into the wall beside him.

Elena draws her pistol, ready to take a shot when he reaches around and throws the girl off of him, slinging her into the wall like she was weightless and reaching for Elena's gun. She fires into his chest and his faces twists with pain as his eyes drift down to the bloody hole in his shirt. Elena holds him in her sights as his knees buckle beneath him, pulling him down to the ground, becoming still.

"You okay Lena?" Reno said setting a hand on her shoulder, feeling her heave with breath. 

She nods, wiping her brow and holstering her gun. "That was the only one I saw, but we should get back to Tseng and-" she began only to be cut short by a string of ragged coughs coming from the woman on the ground.

She pushes off the pavement, propping herself up to sit against the wall. Elena moves to help her, stopping when Reno grabbed onto her arm. He recognized her as the figure he saw earlier, and without saying a word expressed his caution to Elena with a simple glance. She acknowledges him, keeping her stance and watching as the woman pulled down her face shield, wiping away the blood under her nose. There was a certain familiarity to her face, the shape of her jaw and the curve of her neck almost all that was visible to Reno. It wasn't until she looked up and smiled at Elena that the recognition hit him.

"You...You two okay..?" she managed to say.

"Yes, thank you," Elena said now approaching her with more discretion. 

"Anika," Reno said, his voice low in warning. She manages a weak smile.  "What are you doing here?"

"I'm glad to see you remembered me," she said pulling her stocking cap off allowing long black locks to come tumbling down. "It's been a while hasn't it,"

"What are you doing here?" Reno repeats more sternly, spying the pistol concealed in her jacket.

It had been years, since he had last seen her, and the terms that they left on made him weary of coming across her again. She wasn't just a crazy ex-girlfriend, he knew she was genuinely dangerous. Without knowing her motives, he couldn't tell if she should be considered a threat or not.

She nods over to the body on the ground, "Following him,"

"Take the gun out and set it on the ground,"

Her eyes narrow at him dangerously, but she does so without hesitation, holding up one hand as the other reached into her jacket and removed the pistol, setting it down on the ground. "I understand how this seems,"

"Reno, who is this?"

"An old friend of mine Lena. Everything's going to be alright, isn't it?" he said his eyes narrowing at the woman on the ground.

"I'm not here for you if that's what you're worried about," Anika said trying to ease his worry. Reno didn't budge, his head swimming with emotions, unsure if he should be relieved to see her after so long, or on guard because of the same reasons. "I've been tracking that man for over a week. I'm just sorry I couldn't get to him before he made an attempt on your president's life,"

"Elena, call Rude. Tell him we... Fuck I don't even know!" Reno huffs running his fingers through his bangs in frustration.

Anika's eyes were suddenly wide with terror and before he could ask why Reno's face hit the wall, and a fit came up into his stomach like a sledge hammer. Elena pulls her gun on the assassin firing three more rounds into his chest that seemed to have no effect. He reached Elena, twisting the gun from her hand and throwing her to the ground to take aim. Anika shot to her feet with her pistol in hand, driving her knee into his stomach. The man slammed into the wall behind him, blood spewing from his mouth. Anika had her gun under his chin before he could move, her eyes grey as steel.

"Little traitor bitch," the man spat.

Anika turns her head and fires, feeling a spatter of blood on her neck as the body tumbles to the ground.

"Fucking shit!" Reno groaned holding his blood soaked nose. He glances over to Elena on the ground before rushing over to help her up, relieved to find she hadn't been hurt.

"He's not getting up from that," Anika chuckles holstering her pistol and wiping the blood from her neck. "I'm sorry about that,"

"What the fuck was that?" Reno snaps at her suddenly grabbing the collar of her shirt and pinning her to the bricks.

"Please, I can explain it all to you. I promise,"

"Reno stop," Elena said setting a hand on his shoulder. "We need to get back and make sure Rufus is okay. We can bring her with us for questioning,"

Reno pauses for a moment, Elena's hand helping to settle him. Anika's eyes were pleading, he hand coming up trying to loosen the grip he hand near her throat. He could see a darkness in her eyes that couldn't recognize. A mixer of blues and silvers mixed in her eyes, colors that remained him of a storm. She hadn't spoken, but he could hear her voice in his head, the way her voice quivered as she choked out the word  _please._

"Let me go with you. I can help you, I promise,"

"Help us with what?" Reno asked.

"He isn't going to be the last to make an attempt on Rufus's life. I know where he is from. I'll tell you everything I can, I swear,"

Reno suddenly noticed his knuckles had grown white as he gripped her shirt, releasing her abruptly and taking a step back. Her shoulders relax as she lets out a relieved sigh, nearly flinching as he reached back out to her. "Give me the gun,"

She eyes him again wearily as she held it out to him, "Thank you,"

Reno's face still stung from his brief affair with the bricks, and a headache unlike any he had ever experienced pounded away in his head as they walked down the street. Elena kept a brisk pace, though he was certain Tseng and Rude had already left to take Rufus to the hospital. From what he had seen, the shot missed his vitals, but Rufus was still rather frail. He was still on the road to recovery from geostigma, and the loss of blood my even be life threatening if not treated immediately. Then again, Rufus had defied the odds in the past.

The lights seemed to be getting brighter as they neared the car, sunshine reflecting off the pavement at a near blinding strength. He could practically feel his pulse in his temples, the back of Elena and Anika's head becoming blurred as he willed himself to continue. The ground shook violently beneath him, his legs suddenly giving out from under him. "Reno!" he hears a woman's voice so distant he couldn't tell who was speaking. A pair of hands rolled him over onto his back and he squinted into the light, his breath coming out in sharp pants. He could hear something in the distance, but couldn't figure out what was being said until a face leaned down next to his.

"Everything's going to be okay. We are going to get you to the hospital, just hang in there," Anika whispered.

He focused in on her face, the trail of blood beneath her nose and the smears across her neck. Locks of warm black hair fall from over her shoulder, brushing against his swollen cheek as she cupped the side of his face, trying to keep him awake. Her lips moved, but he couldn't hear her words. All he could hear was  _please_ ringing through his head as he struggled to hold on. He didn't want to stop looking at her. It had been so long since he'd seen that face, he had nearly forgotten what it looked like. He could never force her memory out of his head, despite how hard he tried.

He brows drew together as she gave his shoulder a harsh shake. He couldn't stop the light from absorbing his vision, turning everything white before spots of purple began fading in and out until they too consumed his consciousness, slowly fading into black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "It's Been Awhile" by Staind


	2. Fine Again

Reno awoke to the sound of a heart monitor beeping next to his bed, his head throbbing as his eyes cracked open to see the all too familiar hospital ceiling above him. He could feel bandages over his nose, and the swell of his left brow as he blinked, trying to get his thoughts right. He turned his head just enough to spot Rude sitting in a chair next to his bed, flipping through an old gun catalog he likely brought with him as reading material. He noticed Rude's eyes shift to him behind his glasses ans he began to stir, bracing himself as he lifted up into a more upright position. His mouth felt dry, and his limbs sore.

"How long have I been here?" he rasped.

"Overnight," Rude answered setting the magazine down and folding his arms in front of him.

"Mouth tastes like shit," Reno grumbled lifting his hand to brush against the small bandage that held a cut on his forehead together. "What happened?"

"The assassin missed his vitals. Rufus is in good condition." Rude said glancing at the heart monitor. "You received a mild concussion,"

Reno scoffed before glance down at his arm, an IV strapped down to the inside of his elbow. "Then what's that for?"

"Dehydration... and malnutrition,"

"Fuck.." Reno groaned turning his gaze away from his arm and towards the window, trying to recall what all happened before he blacked out. "What happened to Anika..? Is she still here?"

"Tseng's having her for an interview this afternoon,"

"What has she told you?"

Rude shrugs, "She said she has information regarding more assassins. She wants to help with our investigation,"

"She say anything about me?"

Rude raises a brow above the brim of his glasses, an intrigued smirk peeling over his lips. "Should I be concerned?"

Reno lets out a dry chuckle, scratching at his cheek. "I've known Anika since I was a kid. We grew up together and-" he cut himself off. Rude didn't have many expressions, but Reno had been around him enough to sense when he mocking him. "Listen man, this is serious,"

"Crazy ex?" Rude offered.

"No! She-" Reno stumbled. "Fuck I don't know! Did we leave on bad terms? Yeah! But-" Reno suddenly grips his pounding head, sucking in a deep breath and squinting through the pain.

"Take it easy," Rude said sitting forward in his chair. "She just said you were friend in the past. Whatever history that's between you two doesn't seem to matter to her,"

"That's what everyone says until they get pissed off..." Reno grumbled leaning his head back against the pillow and crossing his arms. "Whats the plan then? You think we are going to go after the others?"

"We don't know if they are a serious threat at the moment. We need more information before proceeding,"

"Too bad our only other witness got his brains blown out," Reno huffed.

"If Anika provides valid information, we'll be able to take action,"

"Yeah, but you don't know if it's true!" Reno said. "What if-" he cut himself off as his head started to throb again. Rude gave him a look of understanding, waiting for him to continue. "Listen, Anika is a dangerous person. Don't let your guard down around her..."

Rude nod, standing from his seat and setting his magazine next to the bed. "I'm heading back to HQ. Give you a call in a little bit,"

Reno watched as he opened the door, and before he could stop himself he let the words fall out of his mouth. "Don't let them hurt her..."

Rude glanced back at him over his shoulder, the rare trace of a smirk pulling at his lips. "You got it partner,"

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reno tried to fill up the rest of his day as well as he could from the hospital bed, flipping through television that already announced the attempt on Rufus's life, and glancing through Rude's magazine. The room stayed dark, the light still giving him mild headaches as he recovered. Too many thoughts swirled around his mind, making it difficult for him to rest the whole day as ordered. He kept thinking about Anika, what she might have been telling Tseng, whether or not it were all true. He wanted to be able to trust her, but knew better than that.

Anika could be the gentlest person when she wanted to be. She had a warm heart, and was kind, and polite, and everything you'd expect a sweet looking girl like that to be. But of course there was more to her than that. Behind that sweet woman was violence unlike any he had ever encountered. That side of her he rarely ever saw, but there was something that changed in her that he couldn't explain. Sometimes it was a smile that seemed too sinister, or the way her voice turned dark, or even just something about the way she stood made him feel on edge. She was capable of destruction.

But that didn't stop him from falling in love with her. When she was good, she was everything he had ever dreamed of. She didn't just make him feel desired, but genuinely wanted and appreciated. She'd laugh at his cheesy jokes and lines because she wanted to, not just to catch his interest. The way she looked at him in a way that expressed such a deep and devoted love was enough to make his heart melt. She made him feel like the world could crumble down around them, but as long as they had each other everything would be okay. You needed something like that in order to survive living in the slums, something that made you feel safe.

Then everything just changed. She became cold and distant, barely ever looking him in the eye when they spoke. Every attempt he made to help her sent her further away. Every 'I love you' she spoke was hollow. Every kiss empty of any real emotion. Her eyes had become dark and vacant, the eyes of a stranger. Then one day she snapped, and nothing was ever the same. She had cut him deep, hurt him unlike anyone ever could.

It took him a long time to get over that hurt, but in the end it was the pain that pushed him to where he was now. He'd joined the Turks despite her warnings, and quickly made a name for himself. His brutality was fueled by a hollowness in his chest that he struggled to fill with alcohol and faceless women. Eventually frequent missions with Rude evened out his intense behavior. His recklessness became vigilance. He refined his anger into skill, calculating weaknesses and opportunities to take down enemies with minimal effort. Slowly but surely, he regained his humanity.

Now his humanity was working against him. The weight of his actions were a crushing force, pushing him down a little more each and every day until one day he breaks. Yesterday was the perfect example of what that weight had done to him. He'd lost the ability to protect the people closest to him. He failed to stop the assassination attempt, and failed to save Elena when she was nearly killed. He couldn't even imagine what he would've done if he had lost her.

Anika saved her...

She'd saved his before too, in more ways than one.

Anika was the product of a series of experiments first conducted by Dr. Hollander before he fled Shinra. She had been submerged in a refined version of mako upon her birth in an attempt to create a next generation soldier. She spent the first fourteen years of her life under their supervisions, enduring countless tests and rigorous training to produce a successful model for the future of soldier infusion. She was one of dozens that were tested on, and one of the few survivors. Many don't survive making direct contact with concentrated mako without first going through careful monitoring and preparation, and even after that the effects can be extreme. In exchange, she recieved enhanced strength, speed, and endurance. Wounds that would take months to heal on regular soldiers would fade on her within days. She could train her mind to interpret pain in a different ways, or block it out all together.

But there was another price to pay for power. The enhanced mako connected her to the Lifestream, and left her with mental scars that took years to recover from. He couldn't imagine what she saw, but whatever it was she never liked to talk about it.

None of that used to matter to him. Hell, everyone has their flaws, why should hers be any different. In fact, she was pretty cocky about it at times. After revealing her big secret it all made sense to him, but even before that he found her confidence appealing. Though most would find having a girlfriend stronger than them emasculating, Reno had no problem with letting her have the spotlight. What she was capable of didn't change the fact she was an incredible person.

He only hoped the Anika he remembered was still there somewhere.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Evening approached, and though he could feel a rumble in his stomach, he didn't bother to get anything to eat. The others must've still been busy. An assassination attempt like that probably has them covering all their bases, making sure Rufus was safe and nothing else would be compromised. He felt like an ass being confined to a bed, letting everyone else do the work, but orders were orders. The doctors weren't letting him go until he was hydrated and back to full energy, which meant another overnight stay.

He could see his reflection in the window near his bed, and studied it intently. The left side of his forehead suffered most from the impact, a jagged scrape coming down from the corner of his hairline down just above the bridge of his nose. It was shallow, but wide enough to look like a serious battle scar. The edge of his brow was dark purple and swollen, and he could feel a dull pain every time he moved his brow, making squinting from the light all the more uncomfortable. Luckily his nose wasn't broken, but he was sure that the cut under the bandage wasn't going to be pretty either. 

There was obviously something different about the assassin. He had the strength of a mako soldier, but judging from his fighting style, he didn't have the training of one. His movements were too awkward and he relied mostly on brute strength to incapacitate himself and Elena. Mako infused soldiers  could take quite a few hits too, but a direct hit to the chest with a forty-five would be enough to keep them down. Elena was an excellent shot too, she hit all of his vitals and still he was able to reach her and attack her. They never anticipated running into anything like that. At least he knew now a shot to the head would likely be enough to keep them down.

He saw the door open through the reflection in the window, and his breath hitched as he watched Anika creep in with a large brown sack in her hands. He gripped the sheets as he turned to face her, keeping his eyes cast down at the chair. She pulled up the small end table and set the sack down on it, pausing as she waited for Reno's eye contact. Finding no other way out he, met her gaze, saw her brows draw together in a sympathetic stare as she spoke.

"You doing okay..?" she said fidgeting with her hands in her lap. She changed out of her blood soaked clothes into one of the old soldier uniforms they must have found for her. Her hair was braided back, the tail curling around her shoulder to rest on her chest. He could see a long yellow and green bruise on her shoulder from where she was thrown into the wall, knowing that by tomorrow it'll be healed. She leaned in a little closer, her lips parting as if she were about to speak again.

"I'm fine," Reno said, suddenly noticing a familiar scent filling the room. His stomach growled involuntarily, the thought of food still making him feel slightly nauseated.

"Tseng and Elena have working been almost all night... But they said you still like Wutaiian food," she smiled reaching into the bag and pulling out a take out box for him.

Reno reluctantly takes it, his usual lack of appetite giving way to the growl of his stomach and the desire to get back to full strength and go home.  "Preciated," he muttered as he began to eat.

Anika's smile widens as she starts on her own box. Reno glances at her as they eat in silence, noticing the delicate way she gripped her chopsticks, masterfully maneuvering around the broccoli in her tray, almost making him chuckle. She always hated broccoli, and used to let him finish it off whenever they ordered out. When she glanced up and met his gaze a blush crept over her face and she quickly looked away, setting the empty box back in the bag.

"So..." she breathed, obviously searching for words.

Reno gave her a moment to think before rescuing the conversation. "How'd the interview go..?"

"Oh, it was... it was alright I guess... Lot's of information. Gotta head back in the morning." She said messing with a button on her pants as she talked. She'd always been fidgety, especially in uncomfortable situations. She'd toy with her hair, her nails, her clothes, anything she could get between her fingers as she talked. She never used to stumble over her words when she talked to him. She didn't stutter in the alleyway either. Was she really just so nervous talking to him alone like this?

It dawned on him that maybe she hadn't changed as much as he expected. She was definitely more confident out in the alley, but now she averted his eyes when she wasn't speaking, just like she had in the past when she was upset. She glanced back up at him, chewing on her lip. "Anika..."

"I'm sorry... about everything... I wish I would've been able to stop it all, but I was too late..."

"Hey, you can't blame yourself for that. You couldn't have known-"

"I want to tell you the truth," she cut him off. In an instant her demeanor had shifted. Her hands went still over her lap, her body growing static, almost statue like. Her voice was now even, and he could feel her tone growing dark. "The truth that I told to Tseng. Why I need you to trust me and let me help you,"

Reno felt his chest suddenly tighten at the sound of her voice, something about her tone sending a chill down his arms. "You can tell me,"

She sighs, meeting his eyes. He could see the lines of blue, now mixed with a bright silver that seemed to radiate from her pupil. "I knew how to track that man, because I was apart of the same organization as him. He was sent on a mission to assassinate Rufus Shinra. When he saw me tracking him he panicked," her voice was cold and unwavering as the words spilled past her lips. "I was supposed to kill Rufus, but I refused."

"You joined a terrorist organization... to destroy Shinra..."

"No, I never wanted that to happen!" she snapped suddenly, glimpses of her gentleness returning. "We started as a good cause, a place for people like me to take sanctuary. But that wasn't enough for Knix. He wanted revenge for what Shinra did to people, experiments, like us. After the meteor crisis, I didn't want to be at war anymore. He threatened to kill those who opposed him. Threatened to kill me if I were unsuccessful, so I left. They've been trying to track me down, and I've been trying to stop them but..."

She goes quiet, drifting her gaze away again. She didn't need to say anymore, he already knew what was going on in her head. He believed her, despite every warning that he had given himself prior to seeing her, he believed every word she said. He could see the pain in her eyes, hear it in her voice. She seemed... afraid.

He noticed her hand gripped the bed railing, and without thinking slid his fingers across the back, causing her to flinch in response. Tears had built up in her eyes, her hand turning to hold his for a moment. "Please help me..." she whispered.

 _Please..._ Reno felt a pang in his chest at the word, his hand gripping hers tighter. "We will. Promise,"

Her lips curl into a weak smile as she pulls her hand away, wiping the tears from her eyes. She lets out a huff of a breath, chuckling slightly. "Thank you," she muttered. "I should let you get some rest... I just thought I'd stop by to make sure you were doing okay,"

"Where are you going to go?"

"I got a motel room not too far away from the main building. I'll be staying there for a while I guess," She stood up, gathering up the empty bag of take out food and turning away. "Have a good night..."

"Hey wait," Reno said trying to catch her arm but instead coming up short and wincing as he leaned over the side of the hospital bed. He looked up and saw she gave him a curious, almost standoffish look. He suddenly felt his words catch in his throat, but managed to push through the urgency to speak. "Thanks, for coming to see me..."

She nods, her head turning to hide a timid smile. "It's not a problem. I'll see you tomorrow,"

"See ya," Reno replied watching her leave.

The room suddenly felt colder with her gone. Though noise made his head pound, he was sure the silence was worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Fine Again" by Seether


	3. State of My Head

There was something different about today. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but he felt different. He was anxious to get to work, to see his coworkers. For the first time in a very long time, getting out of bed wasn't a struggle.

After a final check of his condition they finally released him. Rude meet him in the lobby and drove him back to his apartment building to shower and change before heading over to the Shinra build to meet with Rufus about the current situation. When they got up to his office, Reno had noticed he was back in his wheel chair, likely weakened from the loss of blood and trauma. He sat behind his large desk while Elena stood to his side, awaiting any orders as Reno and Rude filed in. Rufus pushes his bangs back out of his eyes, his face revealing lines of stress and exhaustion.

"You may all take a seat," he said gesturing to the chairs in front of him. Elena sneaks around the desk to claim her own seat next to them. Reno was relieved to see she suffered from no visible injuries, his daze making him forget exactly what state she was in the last time he saw her. She appeared tired as well, her uniform appearing more loose compared the usual tidy way she kept it. "We've contacted Reeve about our investigation and he has given us clearance and access to WRO assets. According to our informant, they have been responsible for several attacks on remaining Shinra facilities that had previously been unsolved. This organization does not only pose as a threat to myself, but to all remaining facilities and members of the World Regenesis Organization."

"Do we know of any location?" Rude asked.

"Tseng is working with our informant as we speak figuring a plan of action. We have reason to believe they may be stationed outside of the city," Rufus said shifting his gaze to his desk. "In the mean time, while you conduct your investigations I will be relying on WRO officers to be my guard and stationed at headquarters until the threat has passed. I want you to give this mission your undivided attention. This organization must be stopped." After casting his gaze across the three of them he give a wave of his hand. "You are dismissed,"

They all rise, stepping out of the office into the hallway where Tseng and Anika waited. "Well that didn't take long," Anika said turning her attention to Reno as he approached her. He brows drew together at the sight of him, her hand hesitantly coming up to brush against the cut on his forehead. "How's that feeling?"

Though his instinct was to pull away he held back, instead giving a dry chuckle. "Like a massive headache,"

Anika offers a smile, her gaze shifting over to Elena and Rude. "I'm very glad to be working with you, and would like to thank you for the opportunity,"

Reno briefly wondered when she had become so professional. In fact, she looked different. She wore a Turk uniform, her hair done back in her usual braid. "We are glad to work with you too," Elena replied looking to Tseng for direction.

"We've already established a small knowledge base. We'll meet back at head quarters and give an official briefing. I want you all to be aware of what exactly we are dealing with." He then focused directly on Reno. "Are you feeling able to attend?"

Almost surprised by the sudden concern Reno nods, "Yeah, I'm peachy," he said with a smirk.

"Good. We are going to need as many as we can manage," Tseng said turning to leave as the others followed.

Anika slowed her pace to walk next to him down the hallways behind the others, occasionally glancing at him. She walked stiffly through the building, her hand brushing against the sleeve of his jacket once or twice, her gaze darting around every few seconds. She seemed startled by something. "You doin' okay?" Reno asked finally catching her full attention.

"It's been a long time since I've been in one of these buildings," she muttered. "It feels...strange..."

"Bad memories..?"

"Mhm," she said, her fingers brushing against him making her pull away. "S-Sorry," she stammered putting a little more distance between them.

"Hey, it's alright," he said giving her a smile. "If you want me to hold yer hand I'm fine with that,"

She lets out a huff of a laugh, "Smart ass," she said, her lips peeling back into a smile.

Seeing hers made his own smile widen, a rare feeling of comfort washing over him. He could still see the old Anika in her, his friend. He used to give her shit growing up, and she could dish it right back at him. Not that it really bothered either of them. If anything, it was fun to tease each other, laugh at each other. He picked up that same kind of relationship with Elena over time, but the fact Anika still behaved the same was nice. She was beginning to feel more familiar again.

They drove down the block to the Turk head quarters, setting up the large conference room in the back for the information briefing. Everyone took a seat at the large table while Anika stood at the head, awaiting Tsengs cue to being while he set up an audio recorder, also holding a pen and paper to take notes. After arranging everything in front of his he hits the button on the recorder and gives a nod.

"Okay, lets start with what we already know," Anika began taking deep breaths between her sentences as she continued. "The man who made attempted to assassinate Rufus Shinra was a member of the terrorist organization called the Obsidian. Their mission is to pillage and destroy all that remains of Shinra, and have attacked other facilities stationed in Junon and Kalm. Obsidian is a large organization that currently has no stationary base. The members are distributed among different operating houses that rotate periodically to avoid being tracked, making finding them rather taxing." Anika paused her body stiffening slightly from nervousness. "All members, including myself, are mako enhanced, though the condition varies from member to member. The organization has accepted ex-soldiers, test subjects, and have even enhanced members themselves using mako and materia gained while raiding Shinra facilities and labs.

"However, most of the members have disagreed with the new goal set in place. Obsidian began as a small mercenary organization designed to support people enhanced with mako by giving them work and access to medications and supplies to deal with mako dependence. The new leader, Knix, was a scientist working under Hojo, and knows how to manipulate people using mako. A majority of members only carry out these new missions because Knix and the other superiors have threatened their lives if they disobey. I've seen the consequences of refusing to obey orders. The superiors are ruthless and won't stop until they get what they want,"

"Do you know where Knix is?" Tseng asked.

Anika shakes her head, "I don't. The last I saw of him he was stationed in the North Corel Area, but that was months ago." she said. "Meranda was another superior whose location is unknown, but last I heard Reid was going to be moving his station to Rocket Town. If we are able to find him, we can get information on how to locate the others. If we eliminate the superiors, the organization will fall apart. Most of the members aren't there by choice anymore, well, given a few exceptions," she said, referring to the assassin.

Tseng leans forward and shuts off the recording, leaning back in his seat absorbing all the information. "Approximately how many members are there in total,"

"About fifty, but it is hard to be sure. Given the rate at which they were recruiting new members, their numbers could be much larger at this point," Anika replied.

Tseng pauses for a moment, "I will contact Reeve, have the WRO get me any new information they can find on Rocket Town. If we have reason to believe our target is there, we will have to travel there and detain our suspect. In the mean time, I need all of you to make sure you are properly armed and prepared for any mission we might have to handle," he said rising from his chair and turning to Anika. "I want you to familiarize yourself with this facility. We will be doing a lot of work here,"

"Yes sir," Anika nods.

"You can help me go through records on previous attacks to see if we can find any more Obsidian may have been involved with," Elena said walking with her out of the conference room.

Reno follows them out, plopping down at his desk ready to search through Rocket Town data bases when he spotted a sticky note next to his keyboard. It was a doodle of Cupcake with a bandage over his beak and a big lump on the side of his head, but he still had those determined little chocobo eyes. Underneath in bubbly letters were the words 'get well soon', and Reno couldn't help the grin that peeled over his face.

"Hey Lena," he said looking over to her desk where her and Anika gazed at the computer screen.

"Yeah?" she replied leaning over to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Drinks at seventh?"

"Can't. Gotta get some sleep tonight," she said.

"Rude?" Reno said now looking to his partner.

"As long as we aren't out late," Rude grumbled from his seat beside him.

Reno glances over to Anika, who was fiddling with a button on her sleeve while watching the computer with Elena. He wasn't sure if it were a good idea or not yet, but he didn't want to leave her out. "Anika, do you wanna come with us tonight?"

"Hm?" she hummed looking to him in surprise.

"We're going out for a little bit tonight. Do ya wanna come?"

"Um, sure," she said hesitantly, turning back to the screen but he could see her smile a little.

Seeing her smile made him feel at ease, like he no longer had to worry about her being a threat. He could see the two girls talking out of the corner of his eye, and though he couldn't tell exactly what they were saying, it looked like they were getting along just fine.

The afternoon drug on to the point Reno felt like he was going to chuck his computer out the window if he had to be there another minute, but luckily Tseng stepped over to his desk to save him. "It's time to go. I want you to make sure you are taking care of yourself. We need as many people as we can,"

"You got it," Reno sighed, pushing himself up out of his chair.

Tseng flicks his eyes to Rude, giving him a nod that he knew meant he was suppose to keep an eye on the redhead. Rude returns the nod, following Reno outside to the parking lot. "See you tomorrow," Elena said waving to Anika who awkwardly returned the gesture. Reno scanned the parking lot on his walk over to his car, noticing that it was only his and Rude's left.

"Do you have a ride?" he said turning to Anika, catching her by surprise.

She shook her head, "Nope.. the place I'm staying at is just down the road.. I've been taking the train everywhere,"

"Oh, well you can ride with me I suppose. But fair warning, you might have to drive back," he chuckled.

She accepted the offer, sliding into the passenger seat next to him as they both loaded up, following Rude's car down the road. "Where are we going exactly?"

"Just a little bar down in Edge. Been a while since we've stopped there after work,"

"Sound's nice," she said, visibly fidgeting with the end of her tie. "Thank you for letting me come,"

"Ya don't have to thank me," Reno said. "You've done a lot for us already, I owe ya one,"

Silence falls over them, the tapping of Reno's finger against the steering wheel the only sound being made for a good few minutes. Anika stares out the window, gazing out around the city as dusk envelopes them. It was hard to find things to say. He didn't know if asking about what she has been doing was crossing a line with her. She already seemed ashamed to talk about Obsidian, but he still wanted to know more. He was sure she had to tell Tseng in order to gain his trust, but there were still so many unanswered questions.

But tonight wasn't the night for those. He didn't want to think about work right now, he only wanted to think about relaxing and having a good time. He couldn't remember the last time he had a drink just to enjoy having a drink. Even though he played off his drinking as him having a good time, sometimes it was the only thing that could calm him down, to let him sleep at night. Hopefully tonight will be different.

They pulled into the Seventh Heaven, Anika following close behind Reno as they walked through the door, immediately greeted with the bartenders grin. "Well, fancy seeing you two in here," the woman behind the counter called.

"How's it going, Teef," Reno chuckled leaning against the bar.

"Gods, what'd you do to your face?" Tifa giggled.

Reno narrowed into a glare, "Really? That's the first thing ya wanna ask me? Not even gonna ask me how I've been?"

"Okay, Reno. How have you been?"

"Fucking fabulous. Can I get an ale, please?" Reno joked sliding onto a bar stool.

"Sure thing," Tifa laughed setting a full glass down on the counter in front of him. "What about Rude? How've you been?"

Rude nods, sitting down next to his partner, "Exceptional,"

Tifa's attention turn to Anika, giving her a gentle smile. "Can I help you?"

Anika appeared frozen, her mouth opening as if to say something but the words getting caught before she could force them out. A blush grew over her cheeks, her hands clenching and releasing at her sides as if she were trying to grasp onto her nerve. Reno raised his good brow at her, suddenly snapping to the realization she was stuck. "This is my friend Anika. She's new in town so we decided to take her out for a drink," Reno said leaning over and grabbing the arm of her shirt, tugging her over to the empty bar stool at his side.

Her blush darkened as she got nearer, something that was more unusual for her even around strangers. She seemed perfectly fine and composed around Tseng and Elena despite them being complete strangers to her. "It's nice to meet you Anika," Tifa said noticing her discomfort. "Can I get you anything?"

"N-Nice to meet you too." She stammered. "Can I get gin, please?"

"Of course," Tifa cooed, shuffling with a glass and bottle before setting it up on the counter. "Where are you from?"

Anika's eyes shifted back and forth between her drink and Tifa, her finger pressing against the rim of the glass. "Midgar...originally... I've been traveling around the past couple years,"

"That's nice. You settling down in town then or-"

"I'm just here on a little bit of business," Anika said hastily, taking a sip of her drink. Her cheeks flushed as she chewed on her lip, her fingers feverishly tapping against the counter.

She flinched when Reno set his hand over hers to still it, her breath catching in her throat. "Hey, is everything alright?"

He saw her eyes darken back from a pale to deep blue, her breathing evening out and her body relaxing. "Y-yes. I'm fine now," she said turning back to her drink and taking another sip. "Thank you..."

"So, Reno, what happened to your face?" Tifa said with a smirk.

"Bad guys," Reno said glaring at her over the edge of his glass as he drank.

Tifa glanced at Anika, and then back at him, giving him an eyebrow wiggle that only make his stare more intense.

This was going to be a good night.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"So what did ya think?" Reno asked glancing to Anika in the passenger seat. He decided to limit himself to one drink to keep from doing any more damage to his healing head. Anika on the other hand had about four, and looked as though she was about to fall asleep against the window.

"I had a pretty good time," she said giving him a meek smile.

He waited a moment, considering his question before finally coming out and saying it. "What'd ya think of Tifa?"

Anika fiddled with her hands. "She was really nice..."

"Ya seemed a little off once we got into the bar. Was everything alright?"

"Yeah! Uh, yeah. Everything was perfectly fine,"

Reno raises a brow, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel as they left Edge. "Aight, if you say so," Reno said, knowing that there had to be something more to the way she was acting.

"Tifa seemed really nice. Have you known her for long?"

"Well, it's a complicated story," he said. Anika shifted her attention from the window to him, obviously waiting for the details. "She used to be apart of Avalanche back in the day. We used to enemies but in the past year we've kinda gotten past all that. Me and Rude helped fund the bar to make repairs after the plate fell and have been going there regularly. Tifa's become a really good friend of mine,"

Anika nods, turning her gaze back to the window. "She seems cute..."

Reno suddenly snapped his attention to her. There had been a brief period of time he found himself interested in Tifa, but decided to refrain from pursuing his interest to keep their friendship. Besides, things with her and Cloud were complicated and he didn't want to put himself in middle of that. He didn't think Anika would be  _that_ kind of jealous type though. "No, we aren't like that," he said. 

"Oh! No, I didn't mean to imply that!" Anika said in a panic her face turning red. "I just mean she seemed really... well... fuck..." she said running a hand through her hair.

Reno saw her blush in the passing streetlights, coming to the abrupt realization of what she meant. "Oh... you mean... _you_ think she's cute?"

"Well...yeah..." she said her blush darkening. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's alright! I just... I never would've guessed." he said feeling the air in the car become stiff with discomfort. He knew she was acting weird. She had a  _crush_ on Tifa. In all the years he knew her, she never seemed interested in women, then again they never hung around very many of them. He supposed it wasn't too far fetched, especially when it came to having an interest in Tifa and her...attractive physique. "So I know Tifa is in a complicated relationship right now... but we could head down there again soon so you can get to know her better,"

"You're okay with all of it?"

Reno shrugs, "I know you are better than most the guys that try to hit on her," he said turning to see the concern in her eyes. "And yeah, there's nothing wrong with who you like,"

Anika smiles, "Thanks,"

"Sooooo..." Reno began, a smirk growing on his face. "When'd ya get into liking women?"

She shrugs, "A while ago. Wasn't really expecting it, it just kinda happened,"

"No more men then, or-"

"I like both still. Why?"

"Just wondering," Reno said closing in on her motel. "It's just something I never knew about you, ya know,"

He parks in front of the building, noticing Anika hesitate before pushing open the door. "Well thanks for talking with me, and taking me with you. I had a lot of fun tonight."

"It's not a problem. I had a lot of fun too," he said.

"See you in the morning," Anika called as she exited the car.

Reno watched and made sure she made it inside before continuing on to his own apartment building. The rest of the ride seemed like a blur, muscle memory managing to get him back without him paying too much attention to the streets he passed. He reaches the building, beginning the accent to his floor when a small woman catches him in the hallway.

"Excuse me," she began tucking a lock of long platinum blonde hair behind her ear. Her eyes connected with his, she blinked a few times and turned her gaze away in mild embarrassment. "I was wondering if you could help me quick,"

Reno raises a brow, noticing how quickly she had put herself in between him and his destination. He didn't know most of his neighbors personally, but he had at least seen most of them before. This woman must have been new. "Uh, yeah. Whatcha need?"

"Well I locked myself out of my apartment. You have a phone or anything I could use?"

"I got one inside my place you can use," he said gesturing down the hall.

"Okay, I'll just follow you," the woman said, a slight blush coming over her cheeks.

He was surprised at how interested she acted. He'd been given that kind of longing stare before, but it was uncommon to get it from complete strangers. He had to admit though, she was pretty cute. He could feel her presence behind him as he walked to his apartment, unlocking the door and stepping in. "The phone is right there on the counter," he gestured over to the kitchen, turning to see her snap the door shut behind her and locking it.

Finally something snapped in his mind, telling him that this situation was wrong.

The woman gave him a sideways glance, a smirk peeling over her lips as she removed a large knife from under her jacket. Before he had time to come up with a plan to defend himself she lunged at him, thrusting the blade towards his face. Reno side stepped the lunge, but wasn't quick enough to stop the blade from slicing into his cheek. Instinctively he threw his fist forward, hitting the woman in the jaw. She hardly seemed to notice the hit before slashing at him again. This time he was ready, catching her arm at the wrist and throwing his elbow across her cheek. That one she felt, making her take a step back to regain her focus. Reno took that brief moment to swing his leg around, connecting with the side of her knee. She buckles, falling over onto her back and letting out a growl of frustration when she spotted Reno turn and dodge towards the bedroom.

He didn't bother with the door, instead diving into his dresser drawer and pulling out his EMR and pistol, wedging the gun into his belt before flicking on the EMR. By the time he got it in his hands she behind him again, swinging at him again with her knife. He managed to get to her before the knife could connect, the EMR barely touching her skin as currents of electricity surge through her. She lets out a wail in pain, yanking her arm back to clutch it to her chest. She scowls at him, her chest heaving as she struggles to catch her breath.

Reno could feel a line of blood trickle down his cheek from the shallow cut. His breath was heavy, but even. The weight of the EMR was a welcomed familiarity to him, the sparks flickering at the tip sending a warning of what was to come if he struck her with it again. He didn't get any joy from hitting a woman, in fact he hated having to do so, but the feeling of having to fight for his live gave him a rush he forgot how much relished. 

The woman eyes his EMR wearily, readying her stance to fight again, switching her grip to hold the knife sideways. "You're not as bad as I thought," she chuckled.

"Yeah, you're not so bad yourself," Reno replied a smirk drawing over his lips. "Why don't we do each other a favor and end this before it gets too ugly,"

"The only way I'm letting this end is when your dead," she hisses back giving him a sinister smile.

"Suit yerself," Reno said launching forward with his next attack, swinging down at her with the EMR.

Her smile widens, her free hand lifting up to catch it mid-swing. He could see her entire arm twitch, her brows drawing together in pain but still she held it. He could see her lift her slowly lift her other hand through the pain, ready to bring the knife down at him. With no other choice he releases the EMR and grabs for his pistol, sending a shot through her chest. She tumbles backwards dropping both the knife and EMR on her way down.

She coughs, blood spewing from her mouth and running down her chin and neck as she struggled to breathe. "T-That... that was f-fucking... bullshit!" she managed to grit out, a hand moving to clutch onto her chest. 

"You're one of them, aren't ya?" he said, watching her movements closely. A shot to the chest like that would be enough to kill anyone in seconds, but she was still breathing, still moving. "They sent you to come kill me,"

"Go...f-fuck yourself!" she shouted, another string of coughs sending blood gushing from the corner of her mouth. She starts to reach for her knife, her hand stopped when Reno pressed his boot into it, pointing the barrel of his gun down at her. "Do it!" she hissed.

For the briefest of moments he considered it. He wanted it. The raw pain in his head and cheek breathed life into his furry, his finger apply pressure on the trigger as his sights lined up with her forehead. He was sick of feeling weak, feeling lost in his own life. Pulling that trigger would prove he still had control, that he didn't have to be helpless anymore. He still had the strength to live, and to kill...

The sound of his PHS ringing in his pocket snapped him back to reality. He points the gun away, digging into his pocket to find his phone, seeing Rude's caller ID and flicking it open.

"Yo," he said casually, keeping pressure against the woman's hand under his foot.

" _Hey, just making sure you made it home alright,"_ Rude said on the other line.

"Well, I might need you to come over here quick,"

" _Why?"_  

"Cause I'm currently standing over this chick that tried to kill me,"

_"Anika?"_

"No man, some other chick. Just get over here quick,"

 _"Be there in ten,"_   Rude said, hanging up.

Reno snaps his phone shut, stuffing it back in his pocket. He kicks the knife away from the woman's hand, walking away for a moment to retrieve a case from the bottom of his closet. He sets it on the bed, flipping the lid open and examining the various weapons it contained. "So what are you gonna do now...?" the woman choked out, her tone sounding more casual now that there wasn't a gun pointed at her head.

"You're going to tell me where your boss is, and then we'll decide what to do with you," Reno said pulling a thick plastic tie from the case, walking over to the woman and turning her over. She lets out a gasp in pain as the pressure switches to the entrance of her wound, but Reno didn't feel anymore inclined to be gentle, pulling her hands behind her back and tightening the plastic tie around them. "Now don't do anything fucking stupid," he said pulling her over onto her side in a more comfortable position until Rude arrives.

She huffs out a laugh, "A-already did,"

"Yeah, trying to kill me was pretty stupid..." he chuckles.

"Not that," she said, her voice growing low. "Trying...to do any of this in the...first place," she murmurs. Reno cocks his head to the side, still crouched down beside her. She kept her gaze on the ground, blood still dripping down from her lip. It almost looked as if tears were forming in her eyes, but she blinked them before he could be sure. 

Could this have been what Anika meant. Despite obviously being sent to kill him, there was something else in this woman's motives. Her fighting was no where near as refined as any soldier or assassin should be. There was a hesitation in her movements, like she wasn't used to fighting. Come to think of it, under those sharp words and ruthless facade, he could sense fear. Her eyes flick back up to his, letting out a deep sigh, running her tongue over the drying blood on her lip.

"Got any water?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "State of My Head" by Shinedown


End file.
